Tombstone & Tucson :

Once winter rolls in here in the northeast and the holidays are over, I look for a place to ride with weather that’s warmer than my home state of Connecticut. Last year’s escape was a special one, since it was to a place I’ve wanted to go for decades: the Old West section of Arizona! And lazy dude that I am, I was going to do it my favorite way – on a motorcycle following someone’s taillight. To that end, I contacted Ron and Elaine Booth, the owners of Twisted Trailz Motorcycle Tours (602/795-8888), and arranged to take their Cowboy Country tour ($1,295 with a rental bike, not including insurance). Though I own a number of bikes, I rented one for this trip. You can, of course, use your own motorcycle if you choose ($850).

Getting My Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
I flew into Phoenix airport, which offers a wide variety of carriers and flights to meet your itinerary needs. After meeting me at Phoenix airport, as he does with all his guests, Ron brought me to Chandler Harley-Davidson to get my bike, a Fat Boy Low. All rental bikes are only a year or two old and in excellent condition. I also got to meet my tour buddies there. The good folks at Chandler took great care of us and, after the paperwork was done, let us use their conference room for our tour briefing. We then rode to the Grace Inn for a good night’s sleep! The Grace is a moderately-priced, comfortable place with a southwestern décor.

Old Tucson Movie Studio
The next morning Ron brought us south on roads not heavily traveled and in no time all the concerns of work were gone. Ron’s route was a pleasant blend of highway and side roads, which was definitely nicer than just hammering along on the superslab. As we got away from Phoenix, the scenery changed from buildings and lots to open prairie and cactus of all sizes and shapes. It was great to just enjoy the sights with no thought to turnoffs, maps, or even a GPS. Along the way we traveled through the beautiful Coronado National Forest and past the outer rim of the Saguaro National Park as we approached the Old Tucson movie studio ($16.95), our main stop for the day.

Being a western movie lover, it was wonderful to see where many of my favorite old flicks (over 300 films and TV shows) were shot and new ones are filmed. Yes, this is still a working movie set. And though we had the option of going to the Saguaro National Park after being at the studio for a while, we all stayed at the Old Tucson, had lunch, and watched the gunfights, tours, flicks, and exhibits. Be sure to try the mesquite-grilled barbecue at Big Jake’s. All the food here was inexpensive and good solid fare. I also had to have a drink (sarsaparilla) at a bar I’m sure I’ve seen in a number of westerns and then take a nap in a coffin. Being a fan of another form of old American iron, steam engines, I had to check out The Reno, which has been in almost 100 westerns.

La Posada Lodge & Casitas
Once we were all movie’d out, we saddled up and headed to our digs for the night: the La Posada Lodge & Casitas. The La Posada is a boutique hotel decorated in a tasteful blend of Mexican and Western styles. My room, a King Casita ($120 per night), was the best of the trip. Diner was at Miguel's, a New Latin American cuisine restaurant in the hotel. I had one of their signature dishes, Chile Relleno with fresh seafood, which was well prepared, tasty, and a good value at $14.

Tombstone, Arizona 
After a nice, inexpensive breakfast, we headed out to a place I’ve been longing to go since I hit double-digits: Tombstone, the town too tough to die. Our first stop once we got there was Boothill, where we walked among graves with headstones I’ve read about for decades. The casualties of the OK Corral gunfight, as well as a number of other executed criminals and regular folk killed in various ways, are buried here. Then it was off to Main Street and lunch at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, where they serve up well-prepared, typical bar food served by dance hall girls. The next stop was the OK Corral to see a reenactment of that famous gunfight ($10), which was nicely played out by locals in full garb, complete with pistols. Numerous movies and books have been done about this shootout between the Earp brothers and Doc Holiday, and members of the Clanton gang. Before the actual gunfight, members of the cast walk the streets ....